‘Cemetery, crematorium, memorial park’

The small-scale Noorder cemetery is situated in the middle of the polder structure of Amsterdam Noord, right next to the North Holland Canal. The existing reception building dates from the thirties and is built in the style of the Amsterdam School. It was recently modified to a design by Herman Zeinstra and Gianni Cito. The architects also designed a number of new, smaller pavilions, which are positioned next to the existing structure and are interconnected by a straight, glass-roofed corridor.

The new buildings have asymmetrical peaked roofs and house a viewing room, condolence room and a crematorium. The successive functions of the pavilions steers the ritual from inside to outside.

This principle is also reflected in the way in which the surrounding landscape has been reorganized. The entrance to the cemetery is now at right angles to the canal. The route for visitors passes the lake and leads to the reception area in the existing building. Behind the reception area is the hall where the ceremony takes place. The hall is situated in another lake and daylight, which is reflected by the water, enters through enormous windows. A strip of glass in the seven-metre-high roof affords a view of the sky. After the ceremony, the hall doors open and mourners can accompany the coffin to the grave. (ARCAM/MB)